Flask for molding car-wheels



J. R. WHITNEY. PLASK EUR MOLDING GAR WHEELS.

No. 428,293. Patented May 20, 1890.

lig-- NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. IVHITNEY, OF RADNOR, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLASK FOR IVIOLDING CAR-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,293, dated May 20,1890.

Application filed September 10, 1889. Serial No. 323,535. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Radnor, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flasks for MoldingCar-IVhee/ls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to flasks for casting chilled articles, and moreparticularly chilled car-wheels; and it consists in constructing andarranging the several parts of the flask so that while the chill issecured within and really forms a part of the flask, yet when in use itis perfectlyfree to expand and contract by the heating and cooling whichtake place in casting the wheel, as will be hereinafter more fully setforth.

Referring t0 the accompanying drawings, in which the samereference-letters indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures,Figure l is a perspective View of my improved flask. Fig. 3 is a brokendetail view showing a modification of the arrangement.

The ordinary iask used for casting chilled articles consists of fourparts, as shown in the drawings, the cope A, the chill B, the drag C,and the bottom plate D. Vhen the articleas, for instance, a car-wheel-has been molded, these parts are securely clamped together beforepouring to keep the mold intact when subjected to the pressure of themolten metal. In the ordinary flask, where the cope and drag are inclose contact with the solid chill, if the clamping of the flasktogether is not done uniformly at all points the chill When heated bythe molten metal expands irregularly, owing to the fact that it isclamped more tightly by the cope and drag at some points than it is atothers, and of course it will expand most where there is the leastresistance. In consequence of this it soon becomes more or less out ofround, and the wheels cast in it are not perfectly circular. With thecontracting chill the effect of this unequal clamping is seen in adifferent way. This chill is constructed with an inner and an outer ringAconnected to each other by arms or webs having open airspaces betweenthem and having theinner ring or chillin g-surface divided intosegments.Itis Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, and

calleda contracting chillbecause theseinner segments when heated by themolten metal expand toward the center of the chill and thus contract itsdiameter. If the cope and drag, or either of tl1em,are in close contactwith the inner ring, it is found that the clamping of the Iiask togetherunequally at different points brings such pressure upon some of thesegments that their free movement inward is prevented, thus destroyingthe true circular form of the chill and at the same time producing anuneven chilling effect upon the Wheel. To obviate this the cope and draghave been so constructed as to' bring the pressure of the clamping uponthe outer ring entirely. By this arrangement the inner segments are nowfree to expand toward the center; but as soon as the heat is transmittedby conduction through the Webs to the outer ring it begins toexpandoutwardly, and if the clamping is' not uniform this expansion is notuniform. It is more at some point-s than at others, and as a consequencethis outer ring soon loses its true circular form, carrying with it theinner segments, and so affecting the wheels cast in it. To overcomethese difficulties in both the solid and the contracting chill, I havefound that it is absolutely necessary to have the chill entirelyrelieved from the pressure of the cope and drag when the flask isclampedv together, so that it shall be perfectly free to expand andcontract the same at all points,I

thus producing a perfectly true Wheel at all times and adding to thelife of the chill "A To do this I have constructed the'f itself. copeand drag each with three or more lugs or brackets E and F, whichregister with and bear against each other, respectively, 'when theViiask is put together for pouring. Each lug may be provided with ahole, through which passes a bolt or pin G, having a wedge passedthrough a hole in its end for drawing the corresponding lugs of the'vcope and drag closely together; or they may be held together by anordinary bolt and nut, or by an entirely separate clamp, or by any othersuitable device. All of the lugs project out beyond the outer edge orrim of the chill, and are so arranged that when their surfaces are incontact the bottom edge of the cope and the top of the drag are just atrifle farther IOO apart than the thickness of the chill, which willthus prevent any pressure whatever upon the chill. Vhen the contractingchill is used, I prefer to so place these lugs on the cope and drag asto leave a space d of half an inch or more between them, and the upperand lower faces of the chill, so as not to close theair-passages b bbetween the segments and prevent the free circulation of air. In thismanner it will be seen that while the cope and drag are held together assecurely as with the ordinary construction, the chill, which may beeither solid or contracting, is free to expand and contract equally anduniformly in all directions.

If itis desired to use the same cope and drag with chills of differentthicknesses, it can be easily done by means of blocks or washers I ofthe desired size, which can be placed between the lugs, as shown in themodified form in Fig. 3, in which the brackets E and F are shown asextending straight out horizontally, instead of being curved verticallyat the outer ends, as shown in the other iigu res, although acorresponding thinner block could be used with the curved brackets. Itis evident that both these clamping-lu gs on the cope and drag, oreither of them, may be straight or bent Without affecting the principleinvolved in the arrangement. As a matter of convenience I prefer tofasten the cope and chill together permanently, but so loosely that theexpansion and contraction of the chill are not interfered with in theleast. I accomplish this, as is often done, by providing the cope withthree or more additional lugs J, preferably alternating` with thebrackets E. They may be made with a slot K, as seen in Fig. 1, or alarge hole L, as shown in Fig. 2. Through this slot or hole passes ashort bolt M, having a head which engages with the top of the lug andhas its lower. end securely fastened to the chill. In this manner thechill is suspended from the cope without being in close contact with it,so that the two are more easily and quickly placed in position on thedrag and removed from it than if they were not thus connected together.It is not essential,how

ever, to my device that they should be thus secured to each other, butwhen they are the attachment should be so made that the free movement ofthc'chill is not interfered with.

The different lugs and brackets described may be cast upon the cope anddrag or be formed separately and be bolted in place, and they may bemade of cast-iron or any ot-hersuitable material, and may be alsoprovided with ribs N N, if desired, to give them additional strength,although I do not limit myself to any particular shape or constructionof them, but only to their arrangement, whereby they may be clampedtogether withoutany pressure being exerted at any point upon the chillby the cope or drag. It' it is desired, these lugs may be enlarged so asto form trunnions by which the flask can be more easily handled andturned over.

The bottom plate D may be secured to the i drag by being locked onto itby suitable lugs and sockets, or by the ordinary clamp and bolts, as maybe found most convenient.

IVithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I

l. In a iiask, the combination, with an intermediate chill, of the copeand drag, each provided with lugs adapted to bear against each other,whereby the pressure in clamping is brought upon the lugs withoutpressure being applied to the chill, substantially as described.

2. In a iiask, the combination, with the chill, of a cope and a drag,each provided with lugs extending beyond the outer edge of the chill andadapted to bear against each other,where by the cope and drag may beclamped together without any pressure being applied to the chill, andclamps for holding said Hask together, substantially as described.

3. In aiiask, the combination, with the chill, of a cope and drag, eachprovided with lugs secured thereto, with a space between them and thechill, said lugs extending beyond the outer edge of the chill, andclamps for holding the iask together, substantially as described. y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

.Toi-1N R. WHITNEY,

Witnesses:

WM. H. R. LUKENs, CHAs. F. HINcKLE.

